Confession
by Silvery Mist
Summary: Riza always knew that she was an important part of the Colonel’s life but it wasn’t until after Maes Hughes’s death that she knew just how important she was.


**A/N:** I originally planned to post this before Royai Day to coincide with the new FMA2 anime episode about Hughes's death but I procrastinated. :P

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**Confession:**

"_Go get yourself a wife!"_

If there was one phrase that would immediately reminded Riza Hawkeye of Maes Hughes it was that one. Every week the phone would ring on the Colonel's desk and it would be him. The two would chat for a few minutes about random office or family gossip while Furey checked the lines to make sure they weren't tapped. Afterwards came some intelligence information before the inevitable "wife" comment would come up followed by the Colonel slamming the phone back on the receiver. Even though the Colonel always acted like he was annoyed by the Lieutenant Colonel's frequent phone calls Riza knew that he secretly enjoyed hearing from him because he would be in a slightly better mood after each one.

She'd admit she was a little jealous.

Whenever Roy called her it was usually because he had something work related to talk to her about or he was drunk and needed a ride back from the bar. Once or twice he had flirted with her on the phone but she always convinced herself that he was just playing with her and would nip the conversation in the bud even though she secretly wished it would continue forever.

While she eavesdropped on their conversations she always wished that she had a close relationship like that with Roy. Despite the fact that she had known him the longest out of everyone there always seemed to be this invisible barrier between them, preventing them from getting any closer. They'd go out together, as friends, once in a while but even during these casual times they would still maintain the formality of superior and subordinate. In fact, it had been years since he even called her by her first name and if she remembered correctly, she never called him by his except when they were on a mission and she was posing as one of his many girlfriends.

Sometimes she wondered why the Colonel acted rather cautious around her, like she was some sort of priceless Xing vase. He had no problems trading barbs with the other men in the office and he was always at ease when talking with Maes. In fact, Riza was certain that if Maes didn't call during office hours their phone calls could easily have lasted several hours. Unfortunately, those conversations between the two men were nothing more than a memory now.

"_It's going to rain."_

She had stood beside the Colonel today, watching as they buried his best friend. Maes's death had been so sudden. She could still remember the phone call she got that night. Roy had called right when she was getting ready for bed. She remembered how his voice sounded oddly flat while he told her that Maes had been murdered and that they were going to Central the day after tomorrow.

The train ride to Central had been eerily quiet. Roy had spent the entire trip looking out the window, deep in thought like he was preparing for an important meeting rather than a funeral. She had thought it rather odd that he hadn't displayed any outward signs of grief.

During the funeral, she stood next to him as they watched Maes's casket being slowly lowered to the ground. She would never forget the sight of little Elysia Hughes crying for her father to wake up. She herself never cried at her own father's funeral but seeing the little girl pleading reminded her of the pain and grief that she too had felt all those years ago. At least Elysia still had her mom. When her father died all she had for support was Roy and even he left her soon after to return to the academy.

After the funeral, they lingered a while longer at the grave to pay their last respects. It was there, while they were alone in front of the marble headstone that he finally broke down.

Part of her wanted to comfort him, just as he had comforted her when her father died, but she knew that there were people watching so she just stood there, silently waiting for him. When he eventually regained his composure, she followed him back to the entrance of the graveyard where several other soldiers were giving their condolences to Gracia and Elysia.

She spoke to Gracia briefly and then stood there quietly while she listened to Roy tell Gracia that if she ever needed anything to contact him. It reminded her of the time in front of her Father's grave when he handed her his card and told her to contact him if she ever needed anything. She never did but the gesture and the conversation they had afterwards had a profound impact on her which lead eventually to where she was now.

"_Will you follow me?"_

Riza sighed as she slowly stepped out of the shower in her hotel room and grabbed a towel hanging nearby. It had been a long day with the funeral and following the Colonel around the city while he investigated his friend's death afterwards. Drying her hair, she wondered how Roy was holding up. Other than the brief time in front of Hughes's grave he seemed fine but she knew he was simply holding his emotions in check till he was alone in his hotel room.

She hung the wet towel back on the rack when had finished drying herself and slipped into a white shirt and dark skirt. _Maybe I should go check on him_, she thought as she ran a comb through her wet hair.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

Confused at who would be knocking at her door this late, she dropped the comb and picked up her gun before walking towards the door. She quickly opened the door and found Roy standing in the hallway.

"Can I come in?" She blinked and looked down. He was holding a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.

She sighed a little and stepped aside to let him in. He walked over to the little table on the other side of the room and sat down on the chair. Dropping the glasses on the table, he quickly uncorked the bottle and began pouring its contents into the glasses. She couldn't help but notice as she sat down across from him that he looked terrible: his hair was even messier than usual and his normally crisp white shirt was crumpled with a few unbuttoned buttons. But what concerned her were his eyes when he briefly made eye contact with her as he slid a glass towards her. The grief and pain was still evident in his eyes.

"To Hughes," he said, holding up his glass up in a toast. She did the same. "May he rest in peace." Lifting the glass up to his lips, he tossed back the contents at once. Riza watched as he slammed the glass back on the table and pour himself another glass.

"You shouldn't drink too much, sir, or you'll regret it tomorrow."

"I know. I just need enough to numb the pain." He lifted the glass again and swallowed half the liquor this time. Placing the glass down, he sighed and leaned back against the chair. "I can't believe he's gone."

Riza looked down at her drink, trying to think of the proper thing to say. While she knew Maes Hughes fairly well his death didn't hit her nearly as hard as it hit him. Finally she look up and said, "He was a wonderful friend."

Roy laughed. "He was more than just a friend. He was probably the closest thing I ever had to a brother." He looked down at his glass and chuckled quietly. "Back in the academy we would often sneak out of the barracks to visit the bars or play pranks on some of the other cadets. I can still remember the time Maes got so drunk he crawled into the wrong bed and then had to make some lame excuse to the guy he woke up about needing to take a piss in the middle of the night and being half asleep so he got in the wrong bed."

Riza chuckled at the anecdote. She could only imagine how much more amusing the story would have been in person.

"You must have a lot of fond memories of him then."

"Unfortunately that's all that's left. Memories." He sighed and leaned forward so his elbows rested on the table. Reaching forward, he gently pried the glass from her hands and took her right hand.

"Riza…"

Her eyes widen in surprised. He'd called her by her first name.

"Please don't leave me."

She looked at him, somewhat confused. "I'm not going anywhere. This is my hotel room."

He chuckled. "I didn't mean that. "

He clamped her hand between both of his and brought it up to his face. The hair on the back on her neck stood up. This was not right. She had to stop this before anything further happened.

"You're drunk, sir. You aren't thinking straight."

Roy blinked. "I feel a buzz but I'm far from drunk," he replied.

"I just don't want you to do something you'll regret in the morning."

He chuckled. "Believe me. There's nothing I could possibly do now that I would regret tomorrow. On the other hand, if I don't do it, I'll probably regret it down the road."

Alarms went off in her head. This could not be happening. She tried to pull her hand from his but he held onto her firmly.

"I need to say this, Riza. Please hear me out." She looked up at him and stopped struggling.

"Before Hughes died I always thought I'd have all the time in the world to tell you. However, after what happened to Hughes I realize now that you or I could be gone in an instant and I can't let that happen without you knowing how I feel. I know your job is to protect me at all costs but I never want you to sacrifice your life for me. You mean more to me than anyone and the thought of you not being by my side is unbearable."

He paused for a second, pressing his lips against her fingers while he collected his thoughts.

"Riza," he continued. "You've done so much for me. You entrusted me with your Father's secrets and you've saved my life more than once. I really don't know how you can put up with an idiot like me every day. I'm grateful for every second you are with me. I guess what I really want to say is that I've always cared for you much more than just a friend and subordinate. A lot more. I just never told you before because I was afraid of jeopardizing our friendship. Hughes knew though and always teased me about it. He kept nagging me to tell you how I felt but I didn't know how you would react so I never did. However, now that he's gone, I need you more than ever and the mere thought of you not being a constant part of my life is unimaginable."

He paused again. "Riza, you are the most important person in my life. Always have been. I'm an idiot for not telling you this sooner. You're invaluable to me and I want us to be more than friends, or at least a lot closer than we currently are. " He looked straight at her as he spoke the last sentence, trying to gauge her reaction.

Riza could only stare at him, stunned. The alcohol must've affected her hearing. The Roy Mustang she knew would never confess his feelings to her. The one she knew would only tease her whenever she let her guard down and laugh whenever he managed to penetrate her cold persona and make her blush.

"I don't know what to say," she finally muttered. She noticed a worry look cross Roy's face.

"I had hoped you'd shared my feelings," he added, "but if you don't it's ok." He gently let go of her hand and quickly stood up, bumping the table and almost knocking over the bottle. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant."

He was almost halfway across the room when she called out to him.

"Wait."

He stopped and turned around while she walked towards him. When she was finally in front of him she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

She had no idea what compelled her to do it but in the end it didn't matter. When he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss she felt at peace.

He really did love her.

When they finally parted he looked at her and grinned, the first time she had seen it since Hughes died.

"So does this mean we're-" She put her finger on his lips to silence him.

"Let's take it one day at a time." Roy smirked.

"I'm fine with that. We have all the time in the world now," he replied as she pulled him towards her for a much more passionate kiss.

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**A/N:** I really didn't want Roy to say "I Love you" because he doesn't seem to me as the type who would verbally admit his feelings just like that. He's more likely to show his feelings through his actions (like rushing to the watch tower when Gluttony attacked Riza). Unfortunately, it also made writing the confession part extremely difficult.

Ending sucks. I know. No need to point it out.


End file.
